The sport of archery is growing in popularity. Due to the physics involved with projectile motion and the challenges presented by the environment, accuracy is dependant upon the equipment utilized as well as the skill of the archer. One of the biggest challenges that archers face is the natural loss of altitude an arrow experiences as it flies through the air towards its target. An archer must actually aim the bow above the intended target to account for this drop in altitude. If an archer is within a relatively close range to the target, he must only aim slightly above the intended target to account for this altitude loss. The farther the archer is from the target, the more he will have to aim above the target to account for the larger loss of altitude that results from the longer distance the arrow must travel before reaching its intended target. Compensating for the loss of an arrow's altitude is one of the greatest obstacles of archery. To address this challenge, various devices have been developed that are referred to as “peep sights.”
Traditional peep sights are commonly comprised of two parts whereby one part comprises a pin plate, a pin guard, and a plurality of sight pins which are secured to the pin plate and extend into a sight window formed by the pin guard. The second part comprises a circular member mounted directly on the string that aids the user in focusing on the sight pins when it is brought directly in front of the user's eye during use. When the bow string is drawn, the archer can look through the circular member and align the tip of one of the sight pins with a target. For sights utilizing a plurality of sight pins having their tips vertically aligned, each individual sight pin is typically provided for aiming the bow at a target at a particular distance from the archer. For example, one pin may be positioned in the sight for aiming the bow at a target 50 yards from the archer while another pin may be positioned for a target that is at a 70 yard distance.
A review of the current bow sights indicates several problems with them. Obviously, the eye of the user cannot focus clearly on both the target, which is usually at a substantial distance, and the elements of the sight which are within about an arm's length of the eye of the user. Thus, substantial personal skill and art have been required for the effective use of peep sights. Such skill may take years to acquire. Archers using such sights typically close one eye, leading to eye strain and causing targeting problems due to common eye dominance problems. Additionally, once these sights have been adjusted for one archer, they must be readjusted for each archer who wishes to accurately use the same bow.
These peep sights are also a safety hazard, as they cause the archer to position the bow string next to his nose so that he is able to look through the sight. The bow string, when released, may strike the archer's nose or arm, or snag his glasses. An additional problem with string-mounted sights is their tendency to slip along the string from time to time, thus altering the elevational accuracy of the sight. Additionally, string-mounted sights create drag as the string moves through the air; this drag causes decreased arrow speeds and thus decreased firing distances.
Further, a number of the known sights are not adaptable for left-handed shooters. This eliminates the usefulness of the sight for a large population of archers. Furthermore, peep sights are very fragile and easily breakable in an outdoor setting. Additionally, these devices typically require lubrication which is often not performed, leading to maintenance problems. Further, the lubricant often attracts dirt and debris into the open mechanism, thereby accelerating wear and leading to inaccuracy. Finally, peep sights are of limited use when the archer is standing in a low light environment, as he must be able to see the pins in order to target the bow.
To address the problems with traditional peep sights, laser sights have been developed which can be attached to a bow. Laser sights are typically attached to the bow and emit a laser light that impinges the intended target. The lasers are set at an angle relative to the ground to compensate for the arrow's drop in altitude. Because lasers produce a beam of light that is completely straight, a single laser beam will not be able to correctly identify targets at various ranges due to the aforementioned problems with an arrow's altitude loss during flight. That is, a laser beam set at the proper angle for an arrow to hit a target at thirty yards would necessarily be set at a different angle for the arrow to hit a target at sixty yards. To account for altitude loss, known laser sights utilize a variety of adjustable mechanical mechanisms to either point the laser in an upward or downward direction. These mechanisms typically include adjustable screws and cams which must be adjusted by hand and then recalibrated each and every time an archer encounters a target at a different range.
This manual calibration often is time consuming and cannot be adjusted in the field because it would cause the archer to miss his intended target due to time spent adjusting the laser sight. Therefore, a need exists for a laser sight apparatus that would be capable of accurately identifying targets in the field at several different ranges without the need for manual calibration.
Therefore, one of the many objects of the present invention is to provide a laser sight that can be attached to a bow or other type of weapon which is capable of impinging a plurality of targets in different ranges without recalibrating the sight.